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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: bat · pass · chest · cell · bark · mark · bank · rock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bank — for money
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rock — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chest — a box

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