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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. capital — money
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — to shout
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stock — shares
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — to crush
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stock — goods
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. capital — a city
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fork — to eat with

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