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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kid — child
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — goods
  12. mine — for digging
  13. band — a ring
  14. stock — shares
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a music group
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tear — to rip

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