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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
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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 · cabinet · mine · race · band · pop · fan · stock

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — shares
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pop — soda
  7. press — to push
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — a publisher
  11. race — humankind
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mine — for digging
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — goods
  21. band — a ring
  22. race — a contest
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pop — music

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