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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 116 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: cold · mug · wake · prune · drill · fine · stock · rush

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. drill — army training
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mug — to rob
  8. prune — to trim
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fine — all right
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mug — a face

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