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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: toast · bat · stock · race · cue · prune · saw · tube

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cue — a hint
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — bread
  8. stock — shares
  9. prune — to trim
  10. race — the arms race
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cue — a signal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bat — the animal
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tube — a container
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. cue — for pool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bat — in an idiom

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