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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: press · jam · scale · present · stock · mate · tear · pass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — size or range
  3. press — to push
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mate — a partner
  10. present — a gift
  11. tear — from crying
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. present — there
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. present — the time now
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — to breed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — in music

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