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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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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: roll · rest · bank · wake · chair · stock · tear · track

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rest — what's left
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rest — a break
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — what's left
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bank — for money
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. roll — a list

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