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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: object · pound · bank · land · racket · mouse · spring · race

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. race — humankind
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. race — a contest
  6. land — to come down
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bank — for money
  12. spring — the season
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — ground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. land — a country
  17. pound — a weight
  18. spring — a coil
  19. race — the arms race
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. object — to protest
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spring — of water
  24. bank — of a river

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