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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — to handle
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. can — a tin
  12. stock — goods
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bound — certain
  15. cold — an illness
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — shares
  22. can — to be able to
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — tied together

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