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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: stock · sharp · spring · patient · rush · prune · fine · lean

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — shares
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — goods
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. prune — to trim
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fine — all right
  20. rush — hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spring — of water
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spring — the season

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