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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · leaves · bank · land · game · court · temple

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. game — wild animals
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — a match
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bank — for money
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. land — a country
  14. court — for sport
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — a container
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — letters
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — a short time

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