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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · mouse · patient · field · bass · content · ground · lie

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stock — goods
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — shares
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — happy

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