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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: fan · wind · bank · pop · game · wound · hide · spell

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bank — for money
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — to visit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. spell — letters
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pop — soda
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bank — for money

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