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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: lean · patient · root · row · straw · stock · fine · bulb

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bulb — for light
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — high quality
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. row — to paddle
  16. root — of a word
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. row — a line
  19. root — of a plant
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. stock — goods
  22. root — the cause
  23. fine — all right
  24. bulb — for light

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