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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stock — shares
  4. bank — for money
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. drill — army training
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lean — thin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pop — soda
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pop — to visit
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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