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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 120 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: stem · cell · wound · stock · bowl · stick · press · bound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. press — to push
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bound — obliged
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — shares
  15. cell — in biology
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bound — certain
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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