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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: patient · staff · ruler · race · mouse · stock

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. race — a contest
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stock — shares
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. patient — a sick person

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