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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bulb — for light
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — goods
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rule — government
  15. stock — shares
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cue — a signal
  20. rule — a law
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — the fruit

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