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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: leaves · stock · deal · track · press · last · rock · saw

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — to go on
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rock — music
  10. last — finally
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. last — final
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stock — shares
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rock — a stone
  21. track — a path
  22. press — a publisher
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. press — to push

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