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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: fall · bore · stock · field · season · trunk · safe · pit

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fall — the season
  3. pit — a hole
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. season — of the year
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — goods

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