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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: stock · present · wound · fine · field · lean · clip · cue

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. field — for sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. lean — thin
  10. fine — all right
  11. stock — goods
  12. cue — a hint
  13. present — there
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — a subject
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fine — high quality
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — the time now

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