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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: leaves · bank · track · pitcher · land · can · key · court

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. track — a song
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. land — ground
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — a tin
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — to keep track
  15. can — a tin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. key — in music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. land — a country
  23. court — of law
  24. leaves — of a tree

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