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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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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: stick · wind · wound · pitch · stock · root · cabinet · press

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — goods
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — the cause
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — of a word
  16. press — a publisher
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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