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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: chair · firm · row · stock · bulb · last · patient · mine

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — for digging
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stock — goods
  6. firm — steady
  7. stock — shares
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. firm — a company
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. last — to go on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — finally
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — final

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