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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · leaves · field · land · stock · content · saw · object

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. land — a country
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. land — to come down
  8. object — an aim
  9. stock — goods
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. object — to protest
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. field — a subject
  20. land — ground
  21. content — the amount
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — happy
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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