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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: stock · lean · craft · object · staff · leaves · field · club

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. object — to protest
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — for dancing
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — goods
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — boats
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. club — a group
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a skill
  18. club — for golf
  19. lean — thin
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — a subject
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — shares

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