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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 120 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: cue · lean · bank · stock · fan · rest · last · mark

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bank — for money
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a grade
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — a break
  9. stock — goods
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — for pool
  13. mark — a trace
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lean — thin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bank — of a river
  20. last — finally
  21. cue — a signal
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stock — shares
  24. last — to go on

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