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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: stock · lean · arm · band · row · staff · bank · kid

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lean — thin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — to tease
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. row — to paddle
  13. band — a ring
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. row — a line
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stock — goods
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. row — a quarrel

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