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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: mine · can · lie · season · bark · press · stock · row

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. row — to paddle
  3. press — a publisher
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — shares
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. can — a tin
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mine — for digging
  16. row — a line
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — of the year
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stock — goods
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. season — in sport

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