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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: present · file · prune · stock · craft · rock · bat · bore

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. file — a tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. present — there
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — a gift
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stock — shares
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — the time now
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. craft — boats
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. file — a document
  22. craft — a skill
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — to move gently

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