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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: key · drill · cabinet · kid · prune · stock · foot · object

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — the tool
  4. kid — child
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — in music
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — for a lock
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — to protest
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stock — shares
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. drill — army training
  17. prune — to trim
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. foot — a measure
  21. key — the most important part
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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