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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — a short time
  6. stock — shares
  7. present — there
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — magic
  10. present — a gift
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spell — letters
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bank — for money
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. band — a ring
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. bank — of a river

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