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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: stem · march · bass · bank · deal · stock · present · track

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. stock — goods
  7. present — a gift
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — low music
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. present — the time now
  17. track — a path
  18. deal — to handle
  19. march — music
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. present — there

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