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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.

Make a worksheet

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: patient · spring · file · key · stock · stick · racket · fall

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. file — a line of people
  10. spring — of water
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — in music
  13. file — a document
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — to drop
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. key — the most important part
  22. spring — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — a coil

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