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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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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: wind · roll · bank · content · spell · bowl · racket · key

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. roll — a list
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — for money
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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