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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: stock · pitcher · jam · fork · press · wave · season · saw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. press — to push
  3. stock — goods
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. fork — in a road
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. press — a publisher
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — shares
  22. season — in sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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