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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · race · spell · object · snap · bank · bat · tube

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — letters
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. tube — a container
  10. bank — of a river
  11. land — ground
  12. race — the arms race
  13. spell — magic
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — a country
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. object — an aim
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bank — for money
  20. tube — the underground
  21. land — to come down
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. bat — for baseball

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