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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: march · last · race · bank · board · saw · land · temple

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — to go on
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — for money
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. race — a contest
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. land — to come down
  11. race — the arms race
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. last — finally
  14. bank — for money
  15. land — ground
  16. race — humankind
  17. march — music
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — final
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — a country
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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