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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: stock · bay · field · cell · stand · mine · cap · date

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. field — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. field — farmland
  9. mine — for digging
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stock — goods
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. field — a subject
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bay — a horse colour

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