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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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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: mark · wind · kid · date · bank · stock · bowl · fall

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bank — for money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bank — for money
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — to tease
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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