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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 · stand · mate · roll · patient · court · deal · tear

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stand — to bear
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of law
  8. roll — a cake
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mate — a friend
  12. tear — to rip
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. stock — goods
  18. court — for sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mate — to breed
  22. court — of a king
  23. roll — a list
  24. tear — from crying

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