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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · bark · ruler · rush · cold · rash · content · stock

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — shares
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — a series
  7. cold — an illness
  8. content — the amount
  9. rash — hasty
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. stock — goods

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