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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: lean · cue · chest · rush · stock · field · fork · content

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — the amount
  4. lean — thin
  5. field — for sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lean — to bend
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fork — in a road
  16. chest — a box
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. field — a subject
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. content — happy
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cue — a signal

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