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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: can · field · rock · roll · stand · last · stock · pound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stock — goods
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. can — a tin
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pound — a weight
  9. last — final
  10. roll — a list
  11. rock — a stone
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rock — music
  15. stock — shares
  16. last — to go on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. field — farmland
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — to bear
  24. field — for sport

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