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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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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — finally
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tube — a container
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — farmland
  13. tube — the underground
  14. field — a subject
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — to wash
  18. last — final
  19. shower — rain
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stock — shares
  22. last — to go on
  23. bank — of a river
  24. nail — on a finger

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