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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: stock · mug · bass · court · rash · drill · patient · straw

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stock — shares
  4. court — for sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — army training
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mug — a face
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rash — a series
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — low music
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — of a king

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