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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.

Words on the sheet
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: firm · kid · mine · staff · field · stock · wind · fine

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — employees
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. staff — a stick
  6. kid — child
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — a subject
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — a company
  13. stock — goods
  14. firm — steady
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stock — shares
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — to turn a key

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