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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: fan · bulb · press · net · calf · cell · stock · land

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. stock — shares
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — newspapers
  13. land — ground
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. stock — goods
  24. cell — in biology

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