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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.

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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 · stock · clip · wave · board · ground · bound · plane

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — for sport
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — farmland
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — a position
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — goods
  17. clip — a video
  18. board — a committee
  19. bound — obliged
  20. board — to get on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. clip — to cut
  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