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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 · ground · press · trunk · ball · content · tube · bat

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — shares
  10. ground — crushed
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — a position
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — the earth
  18. press — to push
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. tube — a container
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. content — happy

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