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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitch — completely
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — a container
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — an aim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — the underground

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