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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wound · degree · patient · capital · mug · bear · squash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mug — to rob
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — goods
  5. capital — money
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mug — a face
  16. degree — an amount
  17. squash — to crush
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stock — shares
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — a cup

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