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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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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bank — of a river
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. craft — boats
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. band — a ring
  16. pound — a weight
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pound — to hit hard

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