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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: land · bear · ball · bank · wound · pitcher · branch · bowl

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. branch — a division
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — 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