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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: bank · key · date · land · race · wound · pound · bear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bank — for money
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. date — the fruit
  6. race — the arms race
  7. key — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — a country
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. race — humankind
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bank — for money
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — to come down

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