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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — the earth
  12. row — a line
  13. stock — shares
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rash — a series
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — goods
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rash — hasty
  20. ground — a position
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wound — an injury
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. pound — to hit hard

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