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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: lie · rush · cue · stock · prune · capital · date · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — money
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cue — a signal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stock — goods
  16. cue — a hint
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. capital — a city
  23. date — the fruit
  24. rush — hurry

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