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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: rush · rock · ground · straw · tube · race · hand · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. race — humankind
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rock — a stone
  9. race — a contest
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — help
  13. bank — for money
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rock — music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hand — in cards
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — the earth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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