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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 116 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 · stick · season · kid · capital · bank · bark · sharp

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — of a river
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. capital — a city
  11. bark — to shout
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — child
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bank — for money
  19. sharp — clever
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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