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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · mine · wound · temple · court · stock · patient · present

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. 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. mine — an explosive
  2. stock — shares
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stock — goods
  6. mine — for digging
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of law
  11. scale — size or range
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. present — there
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — in music
  23. present — a gift
  24. 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