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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: stock · lash · bore · field · present · spell · cap · pop

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. pop — soda
  4. field — a subject
  5. stock — goods
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pop — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pop — to visit
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — there
  20. stock — shares
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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