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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 124 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: foot · racket · land · stock · press · mug · bark · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. press — a publisher
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. press — to push
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — to shout
  14. press — newspapers
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. land — ground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. land — a country
  23. mug — a face
  24. land — to come down

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