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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 · wake · ground · shower · patient · suit · stock · rest

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ground — a position
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rash — hasty
  12. suit — in cards
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — crushed
  15. rash — a series
  16. ground — the earth
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — a trail
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. patient — a sick person

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