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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: rock · tube · content · saw · roll · bank · cap · stock

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cap — of ice
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — goods
  8. bank — of a river
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rock — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. content — the amount
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — the underground
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. roll — a list
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — for money

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