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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. squash — the sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. rash — a series
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stock — shares
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — letters
  16. fall — the season
  17. bank — for money
  18. squash — the vegetable

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