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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: march · patient · pound · stock · bat · firm · bulb · suit

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. firm — decided
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pound — a weight
  7. firm — steady
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — goods
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — for light
  13. firm — a company
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. stock — shares
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bat — in an idiom

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