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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 120 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: stock · shower · rest · spell · cell · patient · rule · mate

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spell — magic
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — letters
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rule — government
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. shower — rain
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rest — a break
  22. cell — in biology
  23. stock — shares
  24. rule — a law

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