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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: tube · stock · present · hand · track · stick · net · prune

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stock — goods
  4. track — a path
  5. tube — the underground
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. present — a gift
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hand — in cards
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. track — a song
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — help
  19. present — there
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — a container

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