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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — shares
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spring — of water
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a ring
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. band — a music group
  23. stock — goods
  24. rash — a series

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