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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: stock · spring · field · toast · stand · lean · wound · mug

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. lean — thin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — farmland
  21. spring — a coil
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — to bend

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