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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: mine · stock · land · clip · bank · foot · suit · bay

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — goods
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. suit — in cards
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. clip — for paper
  18. land — ground
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mine — for digging
  21. land — to come down
  22. clip — a video
  23. stock — a soup base
  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