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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: field · bound · prune · arm · foot · row · racket · stock

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — a subject
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — for sport
  11. row — to paddle
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. foot — a measure
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. row — a line
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. field — farmland
  24. stock — goods

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