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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: patient · tear · capital · bay · mate · trunk · squash · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. capital — money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stock — goods
  24. tear — to rip

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