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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: bowl · roll · sharp · march · prune · mug · stock · calf

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. march — the month
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. prune — to trim
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. roll — a list
  13. mug — a face
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stock — shares
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. march — music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. sharp — exactly

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