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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · race · cell · stock · snap · chest

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. race — humankind
  3. chest — a box
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — of your body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — goods
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stock — shares
  18. cell — a phone

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