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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: wake · racket · fine · last · rush · fan · stock · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fine — all right
  8. stock — goods
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — shares
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — final
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wake — a trail
  24. last — finally

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