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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 120 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: rash · field · bank · wind · bulb · firm · game · land

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. firm — decided
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. firm — steady
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. firm — a company
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — a match

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