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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — a subject
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — for money
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — goods
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. field — for sport
  21. track — a song
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bulb — for light

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