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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: ball · root · leaves · land · net · bank · march · fine

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — for catching
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — ground
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. net — in sport
  13. ball — a great time
  14. land — a country
  15. root — of a word
  16. march — the month
  17. root — the cause
  18. bank — of a river
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bank — for money
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — to come down

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