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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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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 · wave · race · temple · patient · press · bark · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bark — to shout
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — newspapers
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. press — to push
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. race — a contest
  16. press — a publisher
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — humankind
  19. stock — shares
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wave — of the sea

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