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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's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — for money
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — goods
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — shares
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. net — in sport
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. last — final
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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