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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: patient · tube · stock · court · sharp · ruler · bear · straw

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stock — shares
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. court — of a king
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. tube — a container
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — for sport
  24. sharp — clever

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