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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 116 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  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. chip — for betting
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — to protest
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. chip — to eat
  12. object — an aim
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chip — in a computer
  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