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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 120 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
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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: ground · tear · prune · rash · rest · wax · squash · stock

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. stock — shares
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — what's left
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rash — a series
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. squash — the sport
  23. prune — to trim
  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