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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — goods
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. field — farmland
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. land — to come down
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. field — for sport
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. land — ground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. season — of the year
  24. stem — to come from

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