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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: stock · roll · bat · patient · fan · face · mark · staff

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. staff — employees
  6. stock — goods
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to confront
  9. stock — shares
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. roll — a list
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — employees

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