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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. field — a subject
  3. bound — certain
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mug — a face
  15. field — farmland
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mug — a cup
  24. field — for sport

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