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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: last · bear · fan · mark · content · pound · field · bank

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — happy
  6. last — final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bank — of a river
  12. field — for sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. last — finally
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — farmland
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. last — to go on

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