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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 120 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: rash · bank · cold · lean · stock · can · plane · bat

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stock — goods
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — not warm
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — shares
  22. bank — for money
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — an illness

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