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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 · land · fine · temple · rush · stock · jam · kid

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — goods
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. land — a country
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — for money
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. land — to come down
  21. rush — hurry
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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