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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: race · deal · stock · bank · straw · racket · mine · mouse

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bank — of a river
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stock — shares
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bank — for money
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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