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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pass — a permit
  4. land — ground
  5. toast — bread
  6. cold — not warm
  7. land — a country
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — for money
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stock — goods
  12. bank — for money
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. stock — shares
  15. tube — a container
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — an illness
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. land — to come down
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stock — a soup base

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