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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: straw · tube · drill · rest · pitch · bark · bank · fine

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — a break
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bank — for money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fine — all right
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rest — what's left
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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