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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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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: wake · jam · patient · cabinet · roll · wound · date · stock

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. roll — a cake
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. roll — a list
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. wake — a trail
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — before a funeral

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