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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: season · stock · prune · scale · mark · field · cabinet · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — for sport
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. scale — size or range
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — shares
  11. scale — in music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a grade
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — a break
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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