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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. land — to come down
  4. object — a thing
  5. rock — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — ground
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — a country
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. swing — to play on
  19. clip — for paper
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — shares
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — to protest
  24. rock — to move gently

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