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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: rush · ruler · rash · bank · stock · march · snap · pop

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pop — music
  10. snap — to click
  11. rush — hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — a series
  14. bank — for money
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. march — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pop — soda
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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