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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 · bark · bound · roll · bank · hand · nail · wax

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wind — moving air
  8. roll — a list
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — certain
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — tied together
  24. roll — on a roll

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