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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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468
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: rock · fork · game · bank · field · ground · ball · wind

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wind — moving air
  8. field — farmland
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — for sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wind — moving air
  17. game — a match
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ground — a position
  24. wind — to turn a key

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