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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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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 · kid · lean · rest · rush · stock · saw · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rest — a break
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stock — shares
  12. lean — to bend
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. lean — thin
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — goods
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rest — what's left
  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