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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · stock · chair · craft · patient · ruler

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. stock — goods
  5. chair — a leader
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. craft — boats
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. staff — employees
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. craft — a skill
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base

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