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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: kid · bark · bank · pitcher · board · pop · press · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bank — of a river
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. pop — music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bark — to shout
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pop — soda

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