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

Word bank: wake · date · bank · bark · kid · chair

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — a trail
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — a leader
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bark — to shout
  11. kid — child
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bank — for money

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