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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: saw · land · mark · object · jam · bat · bank · racket

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bank — for money
  4. object — an aim
  5. bank — of a river
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bat — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. saw — the tool
  12. land — a country
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — ground
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. object — a thing
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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