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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: plane · squash · land · toast · bat · hide · bank · stock

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. squash — to crush
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — goods
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bank — for money
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. plane — in geometry

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