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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 120 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: sharp · lie · leaves · patient · degree · content · spring · stock

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. degree — an amount
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. content — happy
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — to recline
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. stock — goods
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — temperature
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — shares
  23. spring — the season
  24. sharp — exactly

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