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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: court · stock · firm · patient · snap · nail · pitcher · lean

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. firm — steady
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of a king
  11. lean — thin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — to bend
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. court — for sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — a company
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stock — shares
  21. court — of law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. snap — to click
  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