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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: pound · perch · bear · press · court · net · stock · nail

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. press — to push
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — after costs
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stock — goods
  21. net — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — for a hammer

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