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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: mine · suit · bark · firm · stock · prune · fan · cell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. firm — decided
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — in cards
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. firm — a company
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. firm — steady
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in a prison

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