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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: wave · land · stand · wound · field · fan · date · bank

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bank — of a river
  5. field — farmland
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. field — a subject
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bank — for money
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — for sport
  23. stand — to bear
  24. date — on the calendar

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