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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: bank · stock · game · bark · rash · mark · mate · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. tube — a container
  4. stock — goods
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — shares
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bank — of a river

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