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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. object — to protest
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — an aim
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — help
  18. object — a thing
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. file — a tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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