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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: spell · fall · bank · wind · stock · pound · race · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — humankind
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — shares
  8. fall — the season
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — a contest
  13. fall — to drop
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. stock — goods
  24. bank — for money

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