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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: prune · bass · club · rush · mine · stick · fall · stock

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fall — the season
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — shares
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. club — a group
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bass — the fish
  12. club — for golf
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — goods
  15. fall — to drop
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rush — hurry
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bass — low music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — for digging
  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