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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: cell · ground · bank · file · prune · squash · stock · ruler

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. cell — a phone
  3. file — a line of people
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ground — the earth
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — to trim
  9. file — a tool
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cell — in biology
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ground — a position
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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