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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. firm — a company
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. firm — decided
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — in music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — goods
  18. bat — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — shares
  24. mine — for digging

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