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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: wake · safe · lie · ground · stock · field · cap · board

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cap — of ice
  7. field — farmland
  8. cap — a hat
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — a subject
  12. board — a committee
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stock — shares
  17. ground — a position
  18. board — to get on
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cap — a lid
  24. safe — out of danger

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