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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: cold · leaves · net · stock · prune · dip · rush · lie

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. net — for catching
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — to sink
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stock — goods
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  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