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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: wave · stock · capital · pit · field · pop · plane · season

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — money
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stock — goods
  6. pop — to visit
  7. plane — a tool
  8. field — for sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pop — music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — a city
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a hole
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. field — a subject

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