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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: pitch · wake · stock · mark · mate · land · bulb · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. land — ground
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mark — a trace

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