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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
468
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: ball · stock · march · date · patient · stick · band · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to click
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a music group
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. band — a ring
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ball — a great time
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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