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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: wound · stem · net · field · race · shower · stock · chip

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — for betting
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — to eat
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. stock — goods
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. field — farmland
  18. stock — shares
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. wound — an injury
  22. field — a subject
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stem — to come from

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