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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: mark · calf · plane · cold · stock · field · rest · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rest — what's left
  5. plane — a tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rest — what's left
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — goods
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — a subject
  15. mark — a trace
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stock — shares
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. field — for sport
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. calf — a young animal

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