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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: root · plane · current · field · rock · game · race · stock

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rock — a stone
  3. plane — a tool
  4. race — humankind
  5. current — happening now
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — music
  13. current — of water
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. stock — goods
  16. root — of a word
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — electric
  19. root — the cause
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. root — of a plant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. plane — in geometry

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