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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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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: wake · rush · roll · land · band · bank · chip · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — to come down
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bank — of a river
  22. roll — a list
  23. wake — a trail
  24. land — ground

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