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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 120 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: stock · wind · racket · rush · patient · spell · ball · tube

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rush — hurry
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spell — a short time
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — magic
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. spell — letters
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stock — goods
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a great time
  24. stock — a soup base

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