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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · wind · stick · prune · fan · chair · game · ball

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — a match
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — goods
  12. chair — a leader
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — shares
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — the fruit
  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