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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: bear · wake · stock · jam · patient · spring · kid · dip

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spring — the season
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spring — of water
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wake — a trail
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — goods
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. stock — shares
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kid — child
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bear — the animal

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