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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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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: rule · capital · patient · cue · dip · stock · ball · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rule — government
  7. capital — a city
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. cue — a signal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rule — a law
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. dip — to sink
  20. capital — money
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lean — thin

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