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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stock — goods
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fall — the season
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fall — to drop
  15. stem — to come from
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — shares
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. coach — a trainer

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