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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: safe · ground · stock · fine · dip · band · patient · date

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — the fruit
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — a position
  6. band — a ring
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stock — goods
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stock — shares
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. dip — to sink
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stock — a soup base

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