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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 · rush · pitcher · rash · fan · tube · swing

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — shares
  5. tube — a container
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. swing — music
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stock — goods
  13. prune — to trim
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pitcher — a jug

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