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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 120 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: mug · stock · leaves · kid · bank · field · race · sharp

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. stock — goods
  7. race — a contest
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mug — a face
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. sharp — exactly
  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