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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: stock · rash · face · ball · dip · prune · season · drill

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — part of the head
  8. season — of the year
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. face — to confront
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — a series
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. drill — a practice
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. drill — army training

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