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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: press · kid · net · bank · bark · row · bore · straw

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. net — in sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. net — after costs
  15. bark — to shout
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — of a river
  18. kid — child
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bore — to drill
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. press — to push
  24. row — a line

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