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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: bound · bear · rest · stock · rash · cold · pitcher · lean

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — thin
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rest — a break
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. rash — on the skin

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