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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: bank · firm · object · chip · rock · hand · lash · last

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. hand — help
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bank — of a river
  8. firm — steady
  9. last — final
  10. firm — decided
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — for betting
  13. object — a thing
  14. last — finally
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. firm — a company
  24. object — an aim

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