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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. cap — a hat
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. swing — to play on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for golf
  9. prune — to trim
  10. club — a group
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. swing — music
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — to shout
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

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