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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — a skill
  4. snap — to click
  5. stock — goods
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bass — low music
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — the fish
  20. craft — boats
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. row — to paddle

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