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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: wind · bank · stock · mine · firm · game · arm · club

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — for money
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stock — shares
  6. club — for golf
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. firm — decided
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bank — for money
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. club — a group
  24. wind — moving air

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