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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
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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: mine · prune · court · patient · stock · coach · bear · lash

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mine — for digging
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. court — of a king
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. court — of law
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — goods
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. stock — shares
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — belonging to me

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