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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: patient · stand · race · suit · cold · perch · stock · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cold — not warm
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. stock — shares
  13. race — a contest
  14. stock — goods
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. suit — clothes
  21. race — humankind
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. suit — in cards
  24. race — the arms race

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