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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: stock · rash · spring · patient · key · rush · cell · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. key — the most important part
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — in music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stock — goods
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cell — a phone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — shares
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

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