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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: field · land · mug · pitcher · stock · club · nail · bark

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — a group
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — shares
  5. club — for dancing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — a subject
  11. land — a country
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stock — goods
  18. bark — to shout
  19. club — for golf
  20. field — farmland
  21. land — to come down
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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