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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · swing · wind · spell · pop · bank · stock · march

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — to handle
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — shares
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — to play on
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pop — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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