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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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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 · row · race · tube · mine · board · bank · bass

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — humankind
  3. board — to get on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. land — to come down
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bass — the fish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. race — the arms race
  14. board — a committee
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — for money
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mine — for digging
  21. row — to paddle
  22. land — ground
  23. race — a contest
  24. land — a country

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