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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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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 · foot · bat · charge · wound · stock · prune · swing

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. foot — a measure
  3. swing — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. charge — in control
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — to play on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — a price
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. press — to push
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — in golf

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