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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: track · stem · calf · pass · field · stock · pound · bat

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — shares
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. track — a path
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stock — goods
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pound — a weight
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pound — for dogs

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