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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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Word bank
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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: swing · prune · bear · stock · club · lie

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stock — goods
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for dancing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. club — a group
  16. stock — shares
  17. swing — music
  18. bear — the animal

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