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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: prune · content · stand · mate · last · bear · deal · stock

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. content — happy
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — to breed
  9. last — final
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bear — the animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. stock — goods
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mate — a partner

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