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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: board · field · plane · cap · sharp · wind · wave · stock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. field — for sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. field — farmland
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. board — a committee
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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