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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 120 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: bay · cell · stock · patient · chest · mine · march · snap

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in biology
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stock — goods
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — shares
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cell — a phone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stock — a soup base

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