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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 120 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: game · object · wake · fall · patient · pound · leaves · stock

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — a match
  4. fall — the season
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pound — a weight
  12. object — to protest
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. object — an aim
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. stock — goods

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