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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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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: spell · land · mouse · fan · file · bank · ground · deal

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. deal — to handle
  4. file — a line of people
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — magic
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bank — of a river
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — a position
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a document
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — crushed

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