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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. branch — a division
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — happy
  15. prune — to trim
  16. drill — army training
  17. fine — high quality
  18. scale — size or range
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. content — the amount
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fine — all right

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