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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: wound · chip · mug · field · stock · fine · fork · stem

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stock — goods
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. field — farmland
  7. stock — shares
  8. mug — a face
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. field — a subject
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. field — for sport

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