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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: field · wave · stock · pound · capital · wake · mark · hide

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — goods
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. capital — a city
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — money
  16. pound — a weight
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. field — a subject
  24. mark — a grade

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