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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 116 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: safe · leaves · bay · rule · prune · fork · ground · stock

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rule — government
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — a position
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rule — a law
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stock — shares
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. stock — goods

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