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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: can · spring · wound · stock · tube · ruler · club · bank

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bank — for money
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. club — for dancing
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — of water
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — goods
  15. club — a group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spring — the season
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. club — for golf
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — a container

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