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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: rest · stock · rule · march · wind · file · bank · saw

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. march — music
  10. rule — a law
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — government
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bank — for money
  18. stock — goods
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. march — the month
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — the tool

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