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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: season · kid · key · bark · bank · club · saw · stand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. stand — to bear
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bank — of a river
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bank — for money
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. club — a group
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. club — for golf
  19. key — in music
  20. bank — for money
  21. key — for a lock
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — the most important part

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