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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — goods
  4. club — for dancing
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — shares
  12. bulb — for light
  13. land — a country
  14. club — a group
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. land — ground
  17. club — for golf
  18. field — a subject

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