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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 · march · track · fork · stock · mark · fan · pitcher

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — in a road
  9. mark — a grade
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. track — a path
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a song
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fan — a supporter
  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