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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cold — an illness
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — size or range
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. scale — in music
  11. branch — a division
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. prune — to trim
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. roll — a list
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — shares

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