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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 · rash · stock · chair · firm · bulb · game · branch

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. firm — steady
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — wild animals
  6. firm — decided
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — shares
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. firm — a company
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a match
  16. chair — a leader
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stock — goods
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. game — a kind of play

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