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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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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 · bay · bank · deal · prune · toast · race · field

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bank — for money
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bank — for money
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. toast — bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. field — a subject
  15. stock — goods
  16. field — farmland
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — for sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bank — of a river

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