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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. swing — to play on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. stock — shares
  5. bulb — for light
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — temperature
  17. swing — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stock — goods
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. prune — to trim

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