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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: race · plane · bank · spring · sharp · jam · stock · last

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — finally
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — humankind
  10. stock — shares
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. last — final
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. last — to go on
  17. spring — a coil
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stock — goods
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bank — for money
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spring — of water

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