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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: bank · land · sharp · band · mate · bear · court · spell

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. land — a country
  4. court — of law
  5. bank — for money
  6. court — for sport
  7. bank — of a river
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. spell — magic
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bank — for money
  14. spell — letters
  15. court — of a king
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — a partner
  19. spell — a short time
  20. land — to come down
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a ring
  24. mate — a friend

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