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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: present · rock · stock · prune · cell · hide · field · bound

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. stock — goods
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. present — there
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bound — tied together
  9. prune — to trim
  10. present — a gift
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. bound — certain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. present — the time now
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bound — obliged

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