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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: bank · stock · rash · perch · fan · spell · face · deal

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — a short time
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. face — to confront
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. bank — of a river
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — a soup base

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