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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fall — to drop
  3. field — a subject
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. field — farmland
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — for sport
  11. clip — a video
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fall — the season
  24. clip — for paper

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