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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: prune · ball · pitcher · stock · row · mark · staff · rest

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — employees
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stock — shares
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. staff — employees
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — a grade
  24. prune — to trim

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