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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. club — for golf
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. plane — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a document
  12. stock — goods
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. club — a group
  24. plane — an aircraft

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