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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: court · can · spell · bank · leaves · bark · net · craft

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. spell — letters
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — for sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. court — of a king
  8. bark — to shout
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — to be able to
  11. net — for catching
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — a tin
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. craft — boats
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. craft — a skill
  22. net — after costs
  23. court — of law
  24. craft — a handicraft

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