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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: capital · present · saw · staff · ground · stock · patient · mouse

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — shares
  6. present — the time now
  7. stock — goods
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. present — there
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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