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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: bark · bank · ground · stand · staff · coach · roll · row

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. roll — a list
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — a position
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — crushed
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — for spectators

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