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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — a box
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. craft — boats
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — shares
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — certain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bank — of a river
  24. craft — a handicraft

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