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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: fan · march · pound · club · bank · stock · wake · band

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — shares
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. bank — of a river
  16. club — for golf
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. band — a ring
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. club — a group
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pound — a weight

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