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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 116 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 · hand · stock · net · cap · patient · swing · firm

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. net — for catching
  7. prune — to trim
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. firm — decided
  12. stock — shares
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. firm — steady
  15. swing — in golf
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. net — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — a hat
  21. firm — a company
  22. stock — goods
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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