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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. stock — goods
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — shares
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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