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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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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 · rash · fork · wound · pound · bay · stock · cold

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bank — for money
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stock — shares
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stock — goods
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bank — for money
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — a garden tool

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