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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: net · patient · vault · season · mate · stock · land · bass

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bass — low music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — in sport
  7. land — ground
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — for catching
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — goods
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. land — to come down
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. net — after costs
  22. mate — to breed
  23. land — a country
  24. patient — a sick person

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