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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: dip · rush · season · ruler · field · stock · lean · last

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. last — finally
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — in sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. lean — thin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. field — a subject
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — goods
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. season — of the year
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — a sauce

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