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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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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: kick · stand · bowl · stock · race · wake · root · field

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stock — shares
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. race — humankind
  6. wake — a trail
  7. stock — goods
  8. race — a contest
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — a subject
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. root — of a word
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — the arms race
  23. kick — in football
  24. stand — for spectators

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