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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — of a river
  3. staff — employees
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — ground
  6. bank — for money
  7. pound — a weight
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. snap — to click
  16. staff — employees
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — a country

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