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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 · tube · wind · rash · perch · fine · patient · can

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. tube — the underground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — high quality
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. can — a tin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — a series
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. can — to be able to
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stock — goods
  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