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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 116 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: field · pit · patient · ruler · land · firm · branch · stock

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — steady
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. land — ground
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — farmland
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — to come down
  15. branch — a division
  16. field — for sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. firm — decided
  21. field — a subject
  22. firm — a company
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — for measuring

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