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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 120 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: wind · bank · race · bat · press · bark · board · fork

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bark — to shout
  3. race — the arms race
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — for money
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — the animal
  19. race — humankind
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. race — a contest
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bank — of a river

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