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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: temple · present · object · stock · prune · pitcher · press · spell

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — shares
  4. press — to push
  5. object — to protest
  6. prune — to trim
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stock — goods
  10. present — a gift
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. present — there
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — the time now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. spell — letters
  24. object — an aim

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