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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 116 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: land · drill · stock · rash · hide · field · safe · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. land — ground
  4. drill — army training
  5. stock — shares
  6. land — a country
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — goods
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. field — for sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stem — to come from
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — farmland

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