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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 116 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: bay · rush · squash · race · nail · land · bank · fall

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. race — humankind
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. bank — for money
  8. race — a contest
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — to drop
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — a country
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bank — of a river

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