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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rock — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. bank — of a river
  5. firm — decided
  6. bank — for money
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. firm — a company
  10. rock — a stone
  11. net — for catching
  12. current — happening now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — in sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bank — for money
  18. current — electric
  19. land — to come down
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. current — of water
  23. spell — a short time
  24. land — a country

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