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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · content · spring · patient · toast · ground · trunk · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ground — the earth
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ground — crushed
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ground — a position
  13. toast — bread
  14. content — the amount
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. spring — of water
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. content — happy
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. trunk — of a car

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