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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: stock · mug · bound · row · cap · land · press · vault

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — a line
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bound — obliged
  9. vault — a safe
  10. land — a country
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. press — to push
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mug — a face
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cap — of ice
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stock — goods
  24. land — to come down

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