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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: stock · tear · stick · bank · rule · wake · can · plane

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stock — goods
  3. tear — from crying
  4. plane — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bank — for money
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — a law
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — shares
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — government
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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