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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: deal · track · stem · land · field · stock · drill · patient

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. stock — goods
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stem — to come from
  6. land — ground
  7. field — for sport
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. track — a path
  15. field — a subject
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. drill — the tool
  21. track — a song
  22. land — to come down
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. deal — an agreement

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