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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a ring
  6. bank — for money
  7. snap — to click
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bank — for money
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bank — of a river
  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