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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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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: wave · bank · plane · band · fall · trunk · bark · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — to drop
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. band — a music group
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bank — for money
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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