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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: mouse · saw · court · press · bear · stock · spell · wound

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stock — goods
  4. spell — letters
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. press — to push
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of a king
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. bear — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — shares
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bear — the animal

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