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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. prune — to trim
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. field — farmland
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stock — goods
  14. plane — a tool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. pit — in a race
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — a subject
  24. pit — a hole

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