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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 · patient · wake · arm · clip · court · tear · rush

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. court — of law
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wake — a trail
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — hurry
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stock — goods
  21. court — of a king
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. clip — for paper

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