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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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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: land · lie · race · stand · march · bank · stock · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stock — shares
  4. race — the arms race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — music
  7. bank — for money
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bank — for money
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. race — humankind
  12. bank — of a river
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. race — a contest
  17. stock — goods
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. land — a country

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