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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 116 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: can · march · wind · game · spell · land · bank · wake

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — a short time
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — a trail
  9. land — a country
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. march — music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — magic
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — moving air

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