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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 120 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: sharp · field · root · spell · stock · last · wound · chair

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spell — magic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. root — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. last — final
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — an injury
  22. last — finally
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — a subject

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