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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: tube · mug · cabinet · net · bank · kid · land · bark

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. land — ground
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. bark — to shout
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. mug — a face
  11. tube — a container
  12. kid — child
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — for catching
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bank — for money
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. mug — to rob
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kid — to tease
  24. land — a country

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