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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 · drill · rash · kid · spell · bank · arm · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stock — goods
  4. bank — for money
  5. rest — what's left
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spell — a short time
  14. drill — army training
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — letters
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. drill — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rest — a break
  23. spell — magic
  24. bank — for money

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