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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: bulb · saw · spring · stock · field · face · game · bank

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spring — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bank — for money
  15. game — a match
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. face — to confront
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — farmland
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bank — of a river
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — shares

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