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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 · tear · cold · rock · wind · patient · fan · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. object — an aim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — goods
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tear — to rip
  22. object — to protest
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — shares

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