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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: land · mark · staff · season · current · prune · stock · file

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. prune — to trim
  4. current — happening now
  5. season — of the year
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — ground
  13. current — electric
  14. staff — a stick
  15. current — of water
  16. staff — employees
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. land — to come down
  23. stock — shares
  24. mark — a grade

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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