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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: patient · stock · nail · land · net · bound · stick · sharp

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. stock — shares
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — after costs
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stock — goods
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — certain
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. land — a country
  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