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

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. race — the arms race
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — a country
  7. firm — decided
  8. bank — for money
  9. race — humankind
  10. land — to come down
  11. tear — to rip
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to click
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — a contest
  20. firm — steady
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. firm — a company

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