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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 116 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: prune · patient · charge · scale · spring · squash · stock · press

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — size or range
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. scale — in music
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — to push
  15. stock — shares
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — goods
  22. spring — the season
  23. squash — the sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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