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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — the underground
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bark — to shout
  20. tube — a container
  21. bank — of a river
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wound — an injury

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