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

Word bank: ground · staff · rush · stock · saw · field · date · scale

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stock — shares
  7. ground — a position
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. scale — size or range
  10. staff — employees
  11. field — farmland
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rush — hurry
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — employees
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. date — the fruit
  22. ground — crushed
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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