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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 120 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: prune · stock · pitcher · straw · hide · trunk · pound · mine

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — goods
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. prune — to trim
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. pound — a weight
  19. stock — shares
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — to trim

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