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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · clip · present · pitcher · lean · mate · stock · field

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pop — music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. present — a gift
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stock — goods
  21. mate — a friend
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — a partner

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