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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · field · row · club · mine · safe · season · prune

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — in sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — of the year
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — shares
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. field — for sport
  15. row — a line
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — farmland
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. club — for golf
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. field — a subject
  24. mine — belonging to me

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