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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
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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: prune · spring · arm · fan · stock · current · mug · season

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — in sport
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — goods
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mug — a face
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. current — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. current — happening now
  23. season — of the year
  24. spring — of water

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