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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: shower · drill · net · swing · hide · mark · prune · stock

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a trace
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. swing — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. swing — in golf
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — shares
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — to wash
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — after costs
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mark — to pay attention

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