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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: mark · rash · patient · bulb · stand · game · rest · stock

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stock — goods
  7. mark — a trace
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rest — a break
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rash — a series
  24. stand — to bear

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