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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: cell · trunk · press · branch · stock · capital · squash · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. press — newspapers
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. capital — money
  6. press — to push
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. capital — a city
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. squash — to crush
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in biology
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cell — a phone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — a division
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. capital — a big letter

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