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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: firm · stock · swing · press · drill · file · trunk · bass

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a document
  11. bass — low music
  12. drill — army training
  13. firm — decided
  14. file — a tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — a practice
  18. file — a line of people
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bass — the fish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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