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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: stock · can · squash · wave · shower · patient · ground · game

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. squash — to crush
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. game — a match
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. can — to be able to
  12. ground — the earth
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. can — a tin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. game — wild animals
  20. stock — shares
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. shower — rain
  23. stock — goods
  24. can — a tin

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