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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: ruler · perch · roll · stock · rash · patient · scale · staff

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — in music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — goods
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. roll — a cake
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — employees
  22. scale — size or range
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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