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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: rock · fork · object · cabinet · stock · tear · field · file

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fork — in a road
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. file — a document
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stock — goods
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. object — to protest
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. file — a tool
  24. stock — shares

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