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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. field — farmland
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. root — the cause
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — of a word
  11. stock — shares
  12. race — a contest
  13. chair — a leader
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. field — a subject
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — of a plant
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stock — goods

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