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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · fall · wind · land · bank · ball · spell · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. land — ground
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. land — to come down
  6. spell — magic
  7. fall — to drop
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fall — the season
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. land — a country
  16. bank — for money
  17. spell — letters
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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