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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 120 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: sharp · bank · cabinet · perch · wind · spell · pop · mine

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — for money
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — magic
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pop — soda
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wind — moving air

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