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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stock — goods
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wind — moving air
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — a coil
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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