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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: bowl · sharp · bank · stick · land · wound · tube · pop

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pop — soda
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bank — for money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. land — ground
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — an injury
  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