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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — a subject
  5. stock — shares
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. craft — a skill
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bound — certain
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. craft — boats
  13. field — for sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. field — farmland
  18. tube — a container
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stock — goods
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. craft — a handicraft

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