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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: press · stock · kick · calf · squash · spring · band · content

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. band — a ring
  5. stock — shares
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — to push
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stock — goods
  11. spring — a coil
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — in football
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. content — happy
  21. press — a publisher
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spring — of water
  24. squash — to crush

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