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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. season — of the year
  5. pop — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pop — soda
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — the arms race
  12. season — in sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. race — humankind
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — a soup base

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