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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: board · patient · march · pit · capital · wound · stock · wake

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — goods
  5. march — music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — money
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stock — shares
  10. capital — a city
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. march — the month
  17. wound — an injury
  18. board — a committee
  19. pit — in a race
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — a hole
  24. march — the month

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