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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: deal · drill · land · race · firm · rash · bank · wind

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rash — a series
  3. wind — moving air
  4. land — to come down
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. race — the arms race
  9. firm — steady
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. firm — a company
  17. bank — of a river
  18. firm — decided
  19. land — a country
  20. drill — a practice
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. drill — 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