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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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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: stem · bear · bay · field · pit · face · stock · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. field — farmland
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pit — a hole
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — a subject
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — for sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pit — in a race
  20. stock — goods
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. face — to confront

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