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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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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: kid · wake · rule · key · bowl · prune · wound · stock

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. key — the most important part
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — child
  5. key — in music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — an injury
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — government
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rule — a law
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bowl — to roll

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