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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. track — to keep track
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — a box
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. net — after costs
  14. race — humankind
  15. net — for catching
  16. stock — goods
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. race — the arms race
  20. track — a song
  21. race — a contest
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. chest — of your body

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