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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — a subject
  4. snap — to click
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. field — for sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. ball — a great time
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. field — farmland
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a dance
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. stock — shares
  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