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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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Word bank
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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 · net · mine · rush · pitcher · stock · roll · swing

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — for catching
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mine — for digging
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. net — after costs
  15. swing — in golf
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bank — for money
  21. rush — hurry
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — shares
  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