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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 120 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: season · bark · chest · suit · current · plane · row · bank

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. row — to paddle
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — to shout
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bank — for money
  9. current — electric
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. plane — a tool
  14. current — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — happening now
  18. suit — to fit
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. row — a line
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chest — a box
  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