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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
468
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: pitcher · jam · saw · staff · stock · craft · mine · press

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — the tool
  5. craft — a skill
  6. press — to push
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — shares
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. staff — a stick
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. craft — boats
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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