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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · stock · deal · straw · wound · bank · bass · rock

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bass — the fish
  3. content — happy
  4. rock — a stone
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stock — shares
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bank — for money
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — the amount
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bank — of a river

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