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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · stock · band · trunk · press · pitcher · present · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. band — a music group
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. band — a ring
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — the time now
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. present — there
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com