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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 116 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: march · rest · bear · band · stock · lie · rush · kid

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rush — hurry
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — the month
  5. rest — what's left
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — child
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. march — music
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stock — goods
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stock — shares
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. band — a ring
  24. rush — to hurry

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