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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: bat · stem · row · bay · squash · stock · patient · dip

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. row — to paddle
  4. dip — to sink
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — to crush
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — to come from
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bat — the animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. stock — goods
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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