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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · nail · capital · mark · bank · ruler · land · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — to come down
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. land — ground
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bank — of a river
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bank — for money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a city
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — money
  19. land — a country
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — wild animals
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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