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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: land · court · tube · pop · track · bank · lie · wave

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pop — music
  5. court — for sport
  6. land — a country
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — to keep track
  10. court — of law
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — soda
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. court — of a king
  22. bank — for money
  23. tube — a container
  24. lie — an untruth

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