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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 · chest · craft · wind · pop · mouse · pit · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — soda
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — goods
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pit — a hole
  19. chest — a box
  20. stock — shares
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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