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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 120 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: firm · mug · stock · prune · wind · court · safe · cold

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — for sport
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of a king
  7. cold — an illness
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mug — a cup
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. firm — a company
  16. mug — a face
  17. court — of law
  18. firm — steady
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. firm — decided
  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