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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: land · mine · tube · racket · lash · cap · squash · bank

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. tube — a container
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — a lid
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — ground
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cap — of ice
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. squash — to crush
  24. racket — for tennis

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