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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: patient · firm · stock · mine · scale · hide · clip · staff

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. firm — a company
  4. clip — a video
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — goods
  8. firm — steady
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. staff — employees
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — decided
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — for digging
  24. patient — a sick person

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