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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. race — a contest
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bank — for money
  6. race — humankind
  7. craft — boats
  8. stock — goods
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — hurry
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. content — the amount
  20. stock — shares
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bank — for money
  23. wake — a trail
  24. craft — a skill

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