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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: board · game · bank · march · spell · perch · wake · pop

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spell — magic
  9. game — wild animals
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bank — for money
  13. pop — music
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spell — letters
  22. board — to get on
  23. bank — for money
  24. board — a flat piece

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