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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: fan · land · season · wave · bank · spell · hand · fall

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spell — magic
  5. season — of the year
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — help
  8. land — ground
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. season — in sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — the season
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bank — for money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bank — of a river

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