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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rash — hasty
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — to fit
  11. file — a tool
  12. shower — rain
  13. root — the cause
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a line of people
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. file — a document
  21. stock — goods
  22. suit — in cards
  23. root — of a word
  24. stock — shares

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