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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: wake · patient · jam · stock · board · fork · chair · spring

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stock — shares
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spring — the season
  12. fork — in a road
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. board — a committee
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stock — goods
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. board — a flat piece

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