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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: cell · stock · race · band · wake · date · dip · prune

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  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. race — a contest
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cell — in biology
  5. date — the fruit
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a ring
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — to sink
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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