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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: stock · hand · squash · bear · mug · bay · prune · capital

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. prune — to trim
  3. hand — help
  4. bear — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — in cards
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — shares
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — a face
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stock — a soup base

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