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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: race · cell · bank · plane · object · stock · rash · file

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a line of people
  4. cell — a phone
  5. race — humankind
  6. object — a thing
  7. bank — for money
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. race — a contest
  11. file — a document
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. object — an aim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — goods
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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