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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · safe · ground · last · stock · file · field · spring

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — goods
  6. last — final
  7. field — farmland
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. spring — the season
  11. last — to go on
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — a position
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pop — music
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stock — shares
  18. pop — to visit
  19. ground — the earth
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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