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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.

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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: lie · stock · pop · hand · row · spring · patient · stand

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. stand — to bear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spring — of water
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — the season
  12. lie — to recline
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. hand — help
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pop — music
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. row — to paddle
  20. spring — a coil
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. pop — soda

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