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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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Word bank
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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: date · kid · mine · bank · capital · bark · suit · fine

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bank — for money
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kid — child
  9. capital — money
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — high quality
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — the fruit
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bank — for money
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fine — all right

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