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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: fall · drill · straw · stock · rash · rush · mark · kid

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fall — to drop
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rush — hurry
  11. kid — child
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — army training
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — goods
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fall — the season
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rush — a thrill

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