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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — shares
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — goods
  10. fall — the season
  11. board — to get on
  12. charge — electricity
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — in control
  19. root — of a word
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a committee
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — a price
  24. board — a flat piece

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