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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.

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: bank · wake · leaves · race · bat · land · court · lean

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. race — the arms race
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — for sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. land — a country
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — to come down
  14. race — humankind
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. court — of a king
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wake — a trail
  19. land — ground
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — thin

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