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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 116 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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — goods
  3. shower — rain
  4. land — a country
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rest — what's left
  11. key — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — a break
  18. stock — shares
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — to wash
  22. land — to come down
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bass — the fish

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