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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stock — shares
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — goods
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — child

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