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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: ball · game · stick · ground · bank · bark · craft · bat

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ground — a position
  3. game — a match
  4. craft — boats
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bank — for money
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ground — crushed
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bank — for money
  24. bat — for baseball

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