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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 120 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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. field — farmland
  5. stock — goods
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wax — to grow
  8. field — for sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — shares
  17. stand — to bear
  18. season — of the year
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — a division

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