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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — shares
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — to turn a key

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