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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 116 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — to crush
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. squash — the sport
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — a break
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stock — shares
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bank — for money
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. stem — a stem cell

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