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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: calf · bear · press · pitcher · scale · hand · march · stock

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. scale — in music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — in cards
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. march — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — the month
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — newspapers
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. march — the month

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