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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: lash · net · race · can · bank · ground · cell · cabinet

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — for catching
  7. can — a tin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. race — a contest
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in biology
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. can — a tin

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