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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: snap · drill · bass · bank · cell · stock · fine · press

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fine — all right
  3. bank — for money
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. snap — to click
  9. drill — army training
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bank — of a river
  12. cell — a phone
  13. press — to push
  14. cell — in biology
  15. stock — shares
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bass — low music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. press — a publisher
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. stock — a soup base

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