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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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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: stock · pop · board · tear · prune · rest · press · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — to get on
  3. stock — goods
  4. pop — soda
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pop — music
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. press — to push
  14. board — a committee
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — to visit
  18. stock — shares
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rest — a break
  24. spell — a short time

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