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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: hide · pop · stock · chair · mouse · patient · lie · current

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. current — electric
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a leader
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — shares
  14. pop — soda
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. current — happening now
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. current — of water
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pop — music

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