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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: stock · mate · object · lie · field · deal · patient · pitcher

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. mate — a partner
  6. field — farmland
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — a friend
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — a subject
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — to breed
  18. deal — to handle
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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