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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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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: chair · root · bay · coach · kid · stock · deal · patient

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — of a plant
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. deal — to handle
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stock — goods
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — shares
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chair — a leader
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. root — the cause
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. root — of a word
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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