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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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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: rash · bank · hand · mine · trunk · row · pound · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. row — a line
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — for money
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pound — a weight
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rash — a series
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. row — to paddle

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