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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. stock — goods
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. key — in music
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — shares
  24. wake — before a funeral

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