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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. capital — money
  3. mug — a face
  4. stock — shares
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — to get on
  17. capital — a city
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mug — to rob
  21. board — a committee
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — to handle

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