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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 116 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 · lie · spring · field · prune · court · stock · rush

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — farmland
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spring — of water
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — a subject
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. court — of law
  14. rush — hurry
  15. prune — to trim
  16. court — for sport
  17. row — a line
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — the season
  23. court — of a king
  24. lie — to recline

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