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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: bark · bank · root · kid · rash · lash · fan · perch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. bank — of a river
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. root — of a word
  9. rash — a series
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. root — the cause
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — of a tree

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