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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: rash · rule · tube · content · roll · perch · rock · stand

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. tube — the underground
  3. content — happy
  4. rule — a law
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. roll — a list
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rock — music
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rash — a series
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. tube — a container
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rule — government
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. perch — for a bird

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