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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. prune — to trim
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a signal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. date — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. cue — for pool
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. roll — on a roll

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