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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · field · press · march · firm · foot · leaves · season

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. press — to push
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. press — a publisher
  10. season — of the year
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — decided
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. march — the month
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — for sport
  21. foot — a measure
  22. firm — a company
  23. press — newspapers
  24. march — music

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