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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. court — for sport
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. firm — a company
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — goods
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to click
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. prune — to trim
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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