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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.

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: court · rash · bank · leaves · land · band · race · face

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. face — to point toward
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — a contest
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a ring
  11. court — for sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. court — of a king
  21. bank — for money
  22. face — part of the head
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bank — for money

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