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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: arm · race · wound · tube · court · ground · board · bank

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. court — of law
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — for sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bank — for money
  7. ground — the earth
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bank — for money
  10. ground — crushed
  11. race — humankind
  12. tube — the underground
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. court — of a king
  15. board — a committee
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. race — a contest
  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