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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 116 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spell — a short time
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — to handle
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. field — farmland
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — for digging
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — letters
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — for betting
  24. deal — a big deal

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