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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. content — happy
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — goods
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — low music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mark — a grade

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