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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: drill · bulb · stock · patient · fork · last · field · kick

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — to go on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kick — in football
  10. field — farmland
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — final
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. last — finally
  24. fork — in a road

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