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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 · coach · kid · content · patient · ruler · field · bear

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. kid — to tease
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. stock — shares
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — child
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. content — happy
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — for sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. content — the amount

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