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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: stock · bound · date · patient · field · tear · pass · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bound — certain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. stock — shares
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tear — to rip
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. date — the fruit
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. stock — goods
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pass — a permit

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