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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: staff · stock · field · file · fall · press · nail · pop

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. staff — a stick
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — the season
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. file — a document
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pop — soda
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pop — music
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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