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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 116 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: bowl · stock · fan · perch · patient · stick · sharp · net

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — goods
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — clever
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. perch — for a bird

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