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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: bay · tube · rush · prune · stock · rule · ball · march

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. march — the month
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. march — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. stock — goods
  12. tube — a container
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rule — government
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rule — a law
  23. stock — shares
  24. prune — to trim

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