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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: can · mate · cabinet · prune · chest · stock · bore · patient

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — a partner
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — a tin

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