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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. spell — letters
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. can — a tin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bound — obliged
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — magic
  19. prune — to trim
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — goods
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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