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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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468
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: bark · ball · prune · squash · chest · fan · stock · track

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chest — a box
  7. track — a path
  8. prune — to trim
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. stock — goods
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — to shout
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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