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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bank — for money
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a tool
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — of a river
  12. file — a document
  13. lean — thin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. row — a line
  18. rock — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. swing — music
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. stock — shares

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