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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: stock · march · clip · lean · mate · present · press · coach

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mate — a partner
  3. march — music
  4. present — the time now
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — to breed
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. present — a gift
  16. stock — goods
  17. press — a publisher
  18. present — there
  19. lean — thin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — a video
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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