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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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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: file · rush · wound · face · bank · craft · content · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. content — happy
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a tool
  8. content — the amount
  9. craft — boats
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to confront
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — goods
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. craft — a skill
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. file — a line of people
  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