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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: bore · spell · trunk · rock · firm · patient · stock · present

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bore — to drill
  5. present — there
  6. rock — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. firm — a company
  10. spell — magic
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. firm — steady
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. present — a gift
  17. rock — a stone
  18. firm — decided
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. present — the time now
  24. trunk — of a tree

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