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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: content · press · land · temple · trunk · stock · perch · rule

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — a country
  5. rule — a law
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stock — shares
  8. press — a publisher
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. land — to come down
  13. rule — government
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. land — ground
  24. perch — the fish

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