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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bass — the fish
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. can — a tin
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — goods
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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