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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · key · stock · row · current · prune · game · scale

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. row — to paddle
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — electric
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — goods
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — for a lock
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. current — happening now
  20. game — wild animals
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — of water
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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