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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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468
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: straw · scale · perch · patient · rush · saw · stock · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — shares
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — in music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rush — hurry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. scale — size or range
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. scale — for weighing

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