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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: mine · stock · rush · plane · chip · field · stick · dip

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. plane — a tool
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. field — a subject
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. field — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. chip — to eat
  15. field — farmland
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chip — for betting
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — for digging

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