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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness 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. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — shares
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stock — goods
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. branch — a division
  12. chest — a box
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — in a race
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pit — a hole
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  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