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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: stock · mine · rush · can · wake · field · bear · pitcher

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. field — a subject
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stock — shares
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wake — before a funeral

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