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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 120 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: chest · mark · board · drill · bank · racket · bark · straw

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a committee
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chest — a box
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mark — a grade
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — to get on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — a trace
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bank — for money

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