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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 · staff · pound · spring · patient · branch · object · ground

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — goods
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. object — to protest
  6. branch — a division
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — a stick
  9. object — an aim
  10. spring — the season
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — a weight
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. object — a thing

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