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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stock — shares
  4. tube — a container
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — a tin
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — to be able to
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. scale — in music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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