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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: bank · press · nail · straw · trunk · bark · march · racket

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. bark — to shout
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — for money
  13. press — newspapers
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. press — to push
  23. bank — of a river
  24. straw — a straw man

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