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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: key · stock · bark · bat · bass · patient · coach · mine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — for digging
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. key — in music
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. key — the most important part
  22. stock — goods
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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