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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: arm · board · field · hide · racket · hand · wake · stock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — to get on
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. field — farmland
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. board — a committee
  21. field — for sport
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wake — a trail
  24. hand — help

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