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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: bank · stock · last · land · spell · bowl · patient · scale

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. bank — of a river
  4. scale — size or range
  5. last — finally
  6. bank — for money
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — magic
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bank — for money
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — in music
  20. spell — letters
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. land — ground
  23. stock — goods
  24. spell — a short time

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