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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: fall · can · wound · cue · field · suit · spell · bank

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. suit — in cards
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cue — for pool
  7. field — a subject
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. field — farmland
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spell — magic
  16. bank — for money
  17. can — a tin
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bank — of a river
  20. spell — a short time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. spell — letters
  24. wound — an injury

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