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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: date · stock · press · swing · rock · tube · tear · perch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. press — a publisher
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — a container
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stock — shares
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. press — to push
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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