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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. spring — the season
  3. rock — music
  4. stock — shares
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. squash — to crush
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. dip — to sink
  18. squash — the sport
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. dip — a sauce
  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