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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 120 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: squash · net · object · prune · stock · spring · arm · leaves

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — goods
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. spring — a coil
  11. prune — to trim
  12. spring — of water
  13. object — a thing
  14. stock — shares
  15. object — an aim
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. net — after costs
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. arm — a part of something

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