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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: march · dip · bank · board · game · fan · land · spell

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spell — magic
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — ground
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. spell — letters
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. march — the month
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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