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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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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: present · rest · season · drill · stock · prune · wind · race

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — humankind
  3. drill — the tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rest — a break
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — goods
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. present — the time now
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rest — what's left
  14. present — there
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — what's left
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — in sport
  21. present — a gift
  22. stock — shares
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — a contest

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