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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: press · file · hand · board · stock · kid · staff · leaves

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — newspapers
  4. staff — a stick
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — employees
  9. file — a document
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stock — shares
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. kid — child
  17. board — a committee
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a line of people
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — goods
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — to push
  24. stock — a soup base

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