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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 · wax · hand · stand · present · mark · field · ground

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — a gift
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — goods
  15. ground — a position
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — for sport
  19. stand — to bear
  20. present — the time now
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — there
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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