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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 120 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: stock · season · leaves · bowl · rash · net · trunk · press

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. season — in sport
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — newspapers
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — in sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — of the year
  21. press — to push
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of a car

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