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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 · prune · band · rush · bay · field · snap · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rush — hurry
  3. field — farmland
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. club — a group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. band — a ring
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. snap — to click
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stock — shares
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. club — for golf
  24. field — for sport

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