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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — low music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. kick — in football
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bank — of a river
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kick — a thrill

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