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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: clip · stock · press · rule · saw · net · field · root

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. clip — for paper
  3. press — to push
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. root — the cause
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — shares
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — for catching
  10. press — a publisher
  11. net — after costs
  12. field — a subject
  13. rule — government
  14. clip — to cut
  15. saw — the tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — a law
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — of a word

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