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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chip — to eat
  5. firm — steady
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. prune — to trim
  8. plane — a tool
  9. clip — for paper
  10. firm — decided
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. firm — a company
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — goods
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stock — a soup base

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