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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 116 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: bore · coach · stock · rule · prune · current · bowl · field

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stock — shares
  3. field — a subject
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. current — electric
  9. stock — goods
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — happening now
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — to tire
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — of water
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — farmland
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rule — government
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — to drill

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