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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — in a road
  7. lean — thin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — a committee
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — a position
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — to get on

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