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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: wind · bank · game · rest · bowl · bark · hide · prune

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rest — a break
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — moving air

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