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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: mark · foot · stock · prune · season · bowl · rock · chair

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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 — goods
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rock — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. stock — shares
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. foot — the bottom
  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