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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: safe · track · patient · staff · ruler · season · stock · capital

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. track — a song
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stock — shares
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. season — in sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — of the year
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — goods
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. track — to keep track
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. capital — a city
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — a big letter

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