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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: rash · field · stand · file · clip · patient · branch · stock

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — a series
  5. file — a line of people
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — to bear
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. field — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — for paper
  20. field — a subject
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. clip — a video
  24. field — farmland

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