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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: bay · spell · mine · stock · snap · band · firm · row

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. band — a ring
  4. stock — goods
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. spell — letters
  8. row — a line
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spell — magic
  12. band — a music group
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. firm — a company
  15. row — to paddle
  16. firm — decided
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stock — shares
  24. firm — steady

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