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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 · shower · sharp · stock · mouse · content · pop · ball

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. shower — to wash
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stock — goods
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — clever
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a dance
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. shower — rain
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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