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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. craft — a skill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. stock — goods
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. craft — boats
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pit — in a race
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stock — shares

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