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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 · board · hide · band · scale · stock · present · safe

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. band — a music group
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. press — a publisher
  7. board — to get on
  8. scale — size or range
  9. band — a ring
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. press — to push
  13. board — a committee
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. present — there
  22. scale — in music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. press — newspapers

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