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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: leaves · prune · chip · track · stock · toast · bowl · shower

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. shower — rain
  10. toast — bread
  11. stock — goods
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. chip — to eat
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — for betting
  24. shower — to wash

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