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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. prune — to trim
  10. track — a song
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stock — goods
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — an injury
  24. sharp — clever

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