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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: temple · fall · stock · march · rash · patient · wind · date

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — moving air
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fall — the season
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wind — moving air
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fall — to drop

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