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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · land · bank · chest · wound · bark · current · craft

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. bank — for money
  14. land — ground
  15. suit — clothes
  16. current — happening now
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — a box
  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