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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 120 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: bear · stock · field · race · rock · craft · fan · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. field — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rock — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — shares
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. field — a subject
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  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