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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: spell · fork · bowl · bank · game · land · mark · rush

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fork — in a road
  4. spell — magic
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — letters
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bowl — to roll

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