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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 120 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: fine · foot · plane · patient · hand · row · mouse · stock

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — to paddle
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — in cards
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stock — shares
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — help
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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