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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: land · prune · stock · present · hide · spring · date · straw

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — shares
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — the season
  6. land — ground
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. date — the fruit
  9. present — the time now
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — goods
  14. land — to come down
  15. prune — to trim
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. spring — a coil
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — to trim
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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