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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  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 — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — shares
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — finally
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — the tool
  11. last — final
  12. stock — goods
  13. drill — a practice
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — happy
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — the amount
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. temple — side of the head
  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