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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stock — goods
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. bear — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — obliged

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