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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: patient · bay · land · prune · stock · rash · degree · charge

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. charge — in control
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — a series
  21. charge — a price
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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