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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 116 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: stand · present · mine · field · rock · tear · spring · bay

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — a coil
  5. field — farmland
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. present — a gift
  8. spring — the season
  9. tear — from crying
  10. present — there
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rock — music
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — for sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spring — of water
  19. field — a subject
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stand — to bear
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stand — for spectators

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