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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: cabinet · capital · nail · key · chest · press · stem · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. key — for a lock
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stem — to come from
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. key — in music
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. press — to push
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. chest — a box
  24. stem — a stem cell

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