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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: cap · prune · dip · kid · toast · saw · stock · spell

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stock — goods
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. cap — a hat
  21. prune — to trim
  22. toast — bread
  23. prune — to trim
  24. kid — to tease

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