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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · bank · march · spell · land · mouse · bore · track

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. spell — magic
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. track — a song
  12. bank — for money
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — the month

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