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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · bark · chair · squash · game · court · march · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. game — a match
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. game — wild animals
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — for sport
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. squash — the sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — of a king
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. march — music
  20. field — a subject
  21. court — of law
  22. field — for sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. squash — the vegetable

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