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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. drill — army training
  5. bass — the fish
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — to visit
  8. snap — to click
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pop — soda
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. file — a document
  19. pop — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — the tool
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. prune — to trim

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