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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · deal · prune · patient · land · content · bore · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. land — a country
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. content — happy
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. content — the amount
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stock — goods
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. land — ground
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stock — shares
  24. patient — a sick person

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