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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: cabinet · wound · lie · mouse · kid · land · bank · race

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bank — of a river
  13. land — a country
  14. bank — for money
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. race — the arms race

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