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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. stock — shares
  4. prune — to trim
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. perch — the fish
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stock — goods
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — a phone

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