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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: dip · stock · mate · ball · patient · bulb · hand · wound

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hand — help
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bulb — for light
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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