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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: roll · cap · deal · bank · spell · wound · land · pitcher

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — a short time
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. land — a country
  11. cap — of ice
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spell — letters
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — magic
  18. roll — a list
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a lid
  24. deal — an agreement

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