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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: wound · chip · kid · patient · can · coach · stock · fan

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — to be able to
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — goods
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stock — shares
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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