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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 · stock · patient · ground · root · row · charge · fan

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. charge — electricity
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — of a word
  9. field — farmland
  10. charge — a price
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. charge — in control
  13. ground — crushed
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — shares
  16. row — to paddle
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — the cause
  20. ground — a position
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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