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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 120 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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468
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: wound · tube · craft · press · pitch · track · object · stock

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. craft — boats
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — shares
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. stock — goods
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — a container
  16. object — an aim
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — to protest
  20. tube — the underground
  21. track — a song
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — a path
  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