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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — shares
  5. cell — a phone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — a container
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cell — in biology
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. staff — employees
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stock — goods
  24. prune — to trim

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