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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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468
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: bowl · rush · leaves · field · nail · bound · stock · stick

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stock — shares
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stock — goods
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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