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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: bank · jam · sharp · bark · club · lean · row · drill

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — to shout
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lean — to bend
  7. drill — the tool
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — clever
  10. club — a group
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — army training
  20. row — to paddle
  21. drill — a practice
  22. club — for golf
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bank — of a river

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