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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: press · bore · stock · bark · march · staff · swing · charge

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. swing — in golf
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — music
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. march — music
  16. charge — a price
  17. press — newspapers
  18. staff — employees
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. charge — electricity
  24. stock — a soup base

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