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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 120 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: pitch · press · stock · wax · bore · mark · snap · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — shares
  14. snap — to click
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stock — goods
  24. wax — for sculpting

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