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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stock — goods
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. craft — boats
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. prune — to trim
  13. craft — a skill
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — the amount
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. object — to protest
  23. stock — shares
  24. object — a thing

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