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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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 — shares
  4. degree — temperature
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. snap — to click
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stock — goods

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