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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: patient · nail · land · stock · trunk · ball · saw · pound

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ball — a great time
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. stock — goods
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stock — shares
  24. pound — for dogs

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