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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: straw · stock · current · kid · ball · stem · patient · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — goods
  9. current — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. firm — decided
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — electric
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. current — happening now
  21. kid — child
  22. firm — steady
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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