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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 116 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: spring · track · field · rest · fork · rush · stock · court

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — goods
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. track — a path
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — farmland
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. court — of law
  24. field — for sport

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