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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · coach · stock · rule · prune · current

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. stock — shares
  8. current — of water
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stock — goods
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rule — a law
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire

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