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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 · cue · deal · trunk · straw · chest · shower · stock

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. deal — to handle
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — shares
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cue — for pool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cue — a hint
  16. shower — to wash
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cue — a signal
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — a box

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