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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bat · bear · stock · press · pitcher · mine · tube · capital

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — goods
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. capital — money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — a publisher

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