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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — to push
  9. bass — low music
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — certain
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bass — the fish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stock — shares
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — a path

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