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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: bank · roll · pop · wind · safe · net · foot · season

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. season — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. net — for catching
  18. foot — a measure
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. pop — music
  22. season — of the year
  23. bank — for money
  24. roll — a list

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