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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: board · fine · date · trunk · press · fall · sharp · stock

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stock — shares
  6. fall — the season
  7. press — to push
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. board — a committee
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fine — all right
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fall — to drop
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — a publisher
  23. board — to get on
  24. press — newspapers

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