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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: swing · wind · roll · prune · stock · fall · wake · mouse

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — shares
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — goods
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. roll — a list
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — to play on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. roll — on a 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