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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 116 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: prune · march · field · wake · wave · stock · rule · can

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. field — farmland
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. march — the month
  14. field — for sport
  15. rule — a law
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. stock — goods
  22. can — to be able to
  23. march — music
  24. rule — government

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