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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: sharp · bank · land · last · chair · wake · stock · rock

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — final
  5. bank — of a river
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — a stone
  9. last — finally
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. land — to come down
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bank — for money
  22. chair — a leader
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — music

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