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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: ground · hand · spell · roll · deal · bank · march · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mate — a friend
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — help
  7. spell — letters
  8. mate — a partner
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — of a river
  11. roll — a list
  12. bank — for money
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spell — magic
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mate — to breed
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — a big deal

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