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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: bat · field · bound · patient · fork · stock · tube · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. tube — the underground
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bound — certain
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. firm — steady
  21. tube — a container
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bound — obliged
  24. field — a subject

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