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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: ground · stock · net · fall · scale · can · press · cell

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — a publisher
  4. can — a tin
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fall — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stock — shares
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — a position
  13. net — in sport
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stock — goods
  16. ground — crushed
  17. press — to push
  18. scale — in music
  19. net — for catching
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. net — after costs
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cell — in biology

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