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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 120 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: ball · degree · stock · rash · club · pass · prune · lean

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — a group
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. prune — to trim
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — thin
  9. club — for golf
  10. rash — hasty
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. degree — an amount
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — a series
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — to bend
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. prune — the fruit

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