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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: fan · pop · wind · bank · wave · content · rule · land

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. rule — a law
  7. content — happy
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — to visit
  10. land — ground
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — music
  18. content — the amount
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. land — to come down
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rule — government
  24. land — a country

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