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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: bore · roll · stock · trunk · pop · patient · wound · ball

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — a list
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bore — to tire
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. roll — a cake
  24. stock — goods

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