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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: nail · stock · bear · game · pop · face · patient · chest

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — to confront
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. face — part of the head
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pop — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — a box
  22. pop — soda
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — shares

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