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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 · tear · row · wound · stock · bank · chest · tube

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — a box
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. tube — the underground
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stock — shares
  9. wound — an injury
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tear — to rip
  20. row — a line
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — goods

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