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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. row — a line
  3. deal — to handle
  4. drill — army training
  5. fine — high quality
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bark — to shout
  17. march — the month
  18. land — a country
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — ground
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fine — a penalty

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