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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: deal · patient · stock · fall · leaves · ground · last · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. deal — to handle
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fall — the season
  10. last — final
  11. ground — a position
  12. stock — goods
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. last — finally
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — a match
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — to go on
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. ground — crushed

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