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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bark · pitch · wind · pop · stock · fan · pit

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pit — in a race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wind — moving air
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stock — goods
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pop — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pit — a hole

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