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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: press · land · scale · content · bark · race · calf · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. content — the amount
  4. race — the arms race
  5. land — a country
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bank — for money
  13. land — ground
  14. content — happy
  15. race — humankind
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. race — a contest
  18. bank — of a river
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. land — to come down
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — to shout
  23. press — a publisher
  24. scale — size or range

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