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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: lash · bank · cabinet · land · stick · bat · fine · swing

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. land — a country
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bank — for money
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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