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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
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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: pitcher · bank · bound · spell · leaves · wind · temple · staff

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — a stick
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. staff — employees
  8. bank — of a river
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. staff — employees
  12. bank — for money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — a short time
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bound — certain
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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