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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: band · wake · bank · hand · stock · stem · track · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — in cards
  5. track — a path
  6. last — final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — finally
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. track — a song
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a music group
  21. hand — help
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stem — to come from
  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