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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: pop · stock · last · season · fan · current · spring · press

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pop — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. current — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — the season
  13. last — finally
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — goods
  18. current — electric
  19. last — final
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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