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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: roll · patient · fall · wound · bore · object · stock · bear

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. roll — a list
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. object — an aim
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bore — to tire
  13. object — a thing
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bore — to drill
  21. object — to protest
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stock — goods

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