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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 · stem · key · pitcher · stock · fan · wound · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — in music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. prune — to trim
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tear — to rip
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. fan — a supporter

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