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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: wake · stock · prune · lash · spell · trunk · pound · deal

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stock — shares
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — a trail

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