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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: bound · pop · field · object · straw · plane · bark · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. field — for sport
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bound — obliged
  8. field — a subject
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pop — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pop — soda
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — farmland
  16. object — to protest
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pop — to visit
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. bound — certain
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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