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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.

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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — shares
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. field — farmland
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — a box
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a path
  24. pitcher — a jug

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