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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: fan · lie · patient · object · staff · mine · kick · stock

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — to protest
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. object — a thing
  6. kick — in football
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. stock — shares
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. object — an aim
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fan — a supporter

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