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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 120 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: bat · bank · land · mine · pass · lean · band · key

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. land — ground
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. land — to come down
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bank — of a river
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lean — thin
  22. bat — the animal
  23. band — a ring
  24. land — a country

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