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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. bank — for money
  2. spell — magic
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. land — ground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — letters
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bound — certain
  13. track — a song
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. pop — music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bank — of a river
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — a short time
  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