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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: stock · pitcher · temple · bear · tear · patient · object · kick

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tear — to rip
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — goods
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — shares
  24. object — an aim

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