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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. field — a subject
  3. stock — shares
  4. tear — to rip
  5. stock — goods
  6. tear — from crying
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — for sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — boats
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — farmland

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