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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: wave · row · staff · foot · cap · field · stock · tube

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tube — a container
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. field — farmland
  10. foot — a measure
  11. field — for sport
  12. staff — a stick
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stock — goods
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cap — of ice
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — of the sea

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