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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: prune · calf · stick · tear · spell · stock · cell · net

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — a short time
  5. stock — shares
  6. spell — letters
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in biology
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — to trim
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stock — goods
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — magic
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. net — after costs

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