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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — a country
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. race — humankind
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kid — to tease
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. race — a contest
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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