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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bass — low music
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rash — a series
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — on the skin

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