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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: band · bat · bark · straw · bank · season · land · pitcher

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a music group
  6. bat — the animal
  7. land — ground
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. band — a ring
  20. season — in sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pitcher — a jug

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