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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. season — of the year
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. file — a tool
  8. rush — hurry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. file — a document
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. board — a committee
  19. file — a line of people
  20. board — to get on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. squash — to crush
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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