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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: lean · stock · tube · degree · prune · patient · bay · ground

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. ground — a position
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to bend
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — shares
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ground — crushed
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — goods
  24. prune — the fruit

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