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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 116 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: bay · object · band · rush · stock · fine · march · wind

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — an aim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stock — goods
  15. fine — all right
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. stock — shares
  20. march — music
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. fine — high quality
  23. band — a music group
  24. rush — hurry

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