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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 · bulb · patient · fork · net · row · coach · craft

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fork — in a road
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. craft — boats
  9. bulb — for light
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. row — a line
  14. craft — a skill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — after costs
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — shares
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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