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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: last · lie · straw · cabinet · stock · mug · patient · can

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. last — finally
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — final
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — to go on
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stock — goods
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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