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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stock — shares
  6. roll — a cake
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — in sport
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — a division
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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