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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: mark · prune · suit · hand · wound · net · stock · drill

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. net — in sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — in cards
  7. prune — to trim
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — the tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wound — an injury
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — after costs
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — a trace
  22. drill — army training
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — help

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