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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: bound · game · stock · patient · degree · pitcher · coach · rush

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — wild animals
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bound — certain
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitcher — a jug

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