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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: spring · mouse · wax · stock · coach · stem · rash · patient

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — to grow
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. stock — goods
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spring — the season
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spring — a coil
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rash — hasty
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — a series
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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