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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — goods
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — to be able to
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a document
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. shower — to wash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. can — a tin
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a ring
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. prune — to trim
  24. file — a tool

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