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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.

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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: stock · rock · fan · club · rest · row · bound · prune

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — certain
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rest — a break
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a line
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rock — music
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stock — goods

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