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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.

Words on the sheet
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: cold · plane · land · fall · racket · hand · dip · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. plane — a tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bank — for money
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fall — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fall — to drop
  14. land — ground
  15. cold — not warm
  16. land — a country
  17. hand — help
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — to drop

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