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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: key · wind · rock · land · mouse · bank · tube · mark

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bank — for money
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. bank — for money
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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