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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
468
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: degree · racket · wound · mate · stock · bulb · chair · patient

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mate — a friend
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. stock — goods
  8. degree — an amount
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bulb — for light

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