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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: wake · tear · bowl · bank · object · land · ruler · key

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. object — an aim
  4. bank — for money
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. object — to protest
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — a thing
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. key — for a lock
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. key — in music
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bank — for money

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