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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: ground · present · net · prune · mark · hide · stock · fan

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — a position
  6. present — the time now
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — shares
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. present — there
  12. stock — goods
  13. present — a gift
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mark — a trace
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stock — a soup base

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