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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. craft — boats
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — goods
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — a short time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bass — the fish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. saw — the tool
  19. capital — a city
  20. spell — letters
  21. bass — low music
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spell — magic

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