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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: stock · swing · scale · prune · shower · leaves · mark · row

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. shower — to wash
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stock — shares
  13. mark — a grade
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — a line
  17. swing — music
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. shower — rain
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — to trim

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