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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 · fork · pitcher · bound · roll · cabinet · press · leaves

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — a list
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stock — shares
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — obliged
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bound — certain
  14. roll — a cake
  15. press — to push
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. stock — goods
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — tied together
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fork — a garden tool

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