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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stock — goods
  4. land — to come down
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — hasty
  8. capital — a city
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stock — shares
  11. land — ground
  12. board — a committee
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — employees
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. capital — money
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rash — a series
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. stock — a soup base

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