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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · prune · stock · land · ground · straw · bowl · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. land — ground
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — goods
  8. land — to come down
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — a position
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — a country
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. rest — a break

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