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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: spell · wind · stock · foot · hand · prune · cell · fork

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stock — goods
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. hand — help
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cell — a phone

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