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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 · dip · snap · prune · stock · board · pitcher · bowl

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. board — to get on
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — to trim
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — a committee
  14. stock — goods
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cell — in biology
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. dip — a sauce

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