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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: bulb · pit · stock · wound · press · bat · fan · swing

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. swing — in golf
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — an injury

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