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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: wake · track · pass · stock · mark · hand · bank · leaves

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — a path
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mark — a trace
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. bank — for money
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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