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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: row · snap · stock · temple · mug · field · leaves · rule

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. field — farmland
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. field — for sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mug — a face
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. field — a subject
  11. row — a line
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rule — government
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — to rob
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rule — a law
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rule — to rule out

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