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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: squash · stock · bat · track · bay · rash · patient · mine

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. rash — a series
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. track — a song
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stock — goods
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. patient — a sick person

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