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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 · clip · cap · bulb · patient · bay · kick · squash

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cap — a lid
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stock — goods
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stock — shares
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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