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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: cold · toast · prune · stock · spell · hand · plane · nail

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stock — goods
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — shares
  11. spell — letters
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. hand — in cards
  16. toast — bread
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spell — magic
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. prune — to trim

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