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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cue — a hint
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. cue — a signal
  18. craft — boats
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stock — shares
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stock — goods
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bank — for money

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