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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: racket · stock · bound · board · spring · press · pound · straw

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. board — a committee
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bound — obliged
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stock — goods
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stock — shares
  16. spring — a coil
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. board — to get on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. spring — the season
  22. bound — certain
  23. press — a publisher
  24. spring — of water

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