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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: swing · chest · land · object · prune · pitcher · stock · stand

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. swing — in golf
  7. land — a country
  8. object — a thing
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stock — goods
  11. swing — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. land — to come down
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — ground
  23. object — an aim
  24. chest — a box

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