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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — to visit
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — a line
  13. present — a gift
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. present — there
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. present — the time now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stock — a soup base

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