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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: sharp · land · key · row · wound · stock · saw · field

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — ground
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. row — to paddle
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. row — a line
  12. key — in music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — farmland
  18. wound — an injury
  19. sharp — clever
  20. field — for sport
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — an injury
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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