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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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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: fork · pit · stock · lash · mate · prune · wind · rock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mate — a partner
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rock — a stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — shares
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rock — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stock — goods
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — moving air

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