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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: roll · sharp · bulb · field · stem · season · stock · stick

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. season — of the year
  4. roll — a list
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — for sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. field — farmland
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. roll — a cake
  16. field — a subject
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stock — shares
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stem — of a plant

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