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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mug — a face
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. game — wild animals
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — shares
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mug — to rob
  17. tube — a container
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — goods
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. mug — a cup
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — the underground

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