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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: season · nail · swing · fine · bank · stock · spell · mine

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bank — for money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — for money
  15. season — in sport
  16. swing — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fine — all right
  24. stock — goods

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