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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: patient · rash · stock · file · jam · wake · mark · row

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stock — goods
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. file — a line of people
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rash — a series
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stock — shares
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — a trail

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