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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: bark · track · roll · rock · cabinet · hand · bank · chip

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. track — a song
  3. rock — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bank — for money
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bank — for money
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. roll — a list
  23. bark — to shout
  24. cabinet — ministers

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