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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 · lie · file · rash · rule · stock · drill · band

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — goods
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. drill — the tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — to recline
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a ring
  18. rule — government
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a document
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. stock — shares

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