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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: bat · object · mine · fan · bank · race · stock · lash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bank — of a river
  3. race — a contest
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bank — for money
  11. stock — goods
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. object — an aim
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — to protest
  20. bank — for money
  21. object — a thing
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — humankind

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