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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: fork · spring · temple · stock · patient · rock · bulb · scale

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — in music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fork — in a road
  17. scale — size or range
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rock — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. spring — the season
  24. rock — to move gently

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