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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 116 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 · fall · chip · march · key · stem · stock · bulb

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — goods
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — the season
  6. key — in music
  7. march — music
  8. press — to push
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bulb — for light
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. fall — to drop
  21. march — the month
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stem — of a plant

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