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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: squash · current · stock · stick · season · wax · cap · field

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. stock — shares
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — in sport
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — of the year
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. current — of water
  20. cap — a lid
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — goods
  23. field — a subject
  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