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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. fall — the season
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stock — goods
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. ground — crushed
  18. current — happening now
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — a partner
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — to drop

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