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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: march · wake · field · leaves · wound · bank · pitch · spell

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — letters
  10. field — farmland
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spell — a short time
  15. field — a subject
  16. wake — a trail
  17. spell — magic
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitch — a sports field

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