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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: chip · band · bass · bear · bank · bark · date · row

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. row — a line
  8. bank — of a river
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bark — to shout
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bear — the animal
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. band — a music group
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bank — for 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