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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 116 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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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: bay · perch · prune · stick · board · stock · deal · kid

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. board — to get on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — a committee
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. deal — to handle
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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