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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: stock · spell · degree · hide · patient · date · stem · ball

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. date — the fruit
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spell — a short time
  13. degree — an amount
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. spell — magic
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — to come from
  22. degree — temperature
  23. spell — letters
  24. patient — a sick person

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