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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: trunk · bore · swing · press · stock · court · date · pitcher

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stock — shares
  3. date — the fruit
  4. press — a publisher
  5. court — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bore — to tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — of law
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. press — to push
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of a tree

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