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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. squash — the sport
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — in a road
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. prune — the fruit

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