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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: stick · fork · chest · patient · cue · pitcher · stock · lash

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chest — a box
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stock — goods
  21. cue — a signal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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