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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: cabinet · spring · stock · key · press · last · hand · rest

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. stock — goods
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. last — to go on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — the season
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hand — help
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — a break
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — finally
  16. key — in music
  17. stock — shares
  18. press — newspapers
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — final
  23. key — for a lock
  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