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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: wound · prune · temple · stock · game · pit · saw · patient

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. stock — shares
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. temple — side of the head

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