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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: wound · field · spell · rush · chip · lean · bank · tear

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. field — for sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bank — for money
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — thin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. field — a subject
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  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