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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: arm · bowl · season · fall · bank · cold · fine · stock

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fine — all right
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stock — shares
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bank — of a river
  10. season — in sport
  11. stock — goods
  12. bank — for money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. fall — the season
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. season — of the year
  24. cold — not warm

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