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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: lash · current · stock · jam · spell · cold · bank · last

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bank — for money
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — of a river
  8. spell — magic
  9. current — of water
  10. last — to go on
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stock — shares
  14. bank — for money
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. current — electric
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — finally
  20. stock — goods
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. last — final
  23. spell — a short time
  24. current — happening now

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