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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 · lean · prune · tear · stem · mug · bark · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — to come from
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — thin
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — to bend
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — shares
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mug — a face
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — of a tree

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