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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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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: patient · bound · stock · pop · bark · net · nail · cabinet

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pop — soda
  11. net — for catching
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bound — tied together
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — in sport
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. net — after costs
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — certain

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