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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 116 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: trunk · kick · bass · season · wave · bark · wind · bank

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bark — to shout
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bank — for money
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — low music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bank — for money
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. season — of the year

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