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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.

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: press · cell · chair · stand · foot · stock · pitcher · spring

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — the season
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. spring — a coil
  5. foot — a measure
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stock — goods
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stock — shares
  12. spring — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stand — to bear

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