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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: season · ground · stock · club · leaves · dip · patient · track

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — a position
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ground — the earth
  12. track — a song
  13. dip — to sink
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a path
  18. club — a group
  19. track — to keep track
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ground — crushed
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stock — a soup base

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