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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: stock · prune · cap · content · squash · object · deal · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. content — the amount
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. content — happy
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — to protest
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. prune — to trim
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cap — a hat
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. object — a thing
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. object — an aim
  22. stock — goods
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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