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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: pitcher · bowl · stand · field · stock · season · track · trunk

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stock — shares
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — a song
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — farmland
  19. stock — goods
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. season — of the year

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