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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
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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 · key · sharp · stem · race · season · court · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. key — for a lock
  10. race — humankind
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. key — in music
  15. season — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. sharp — clever
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of a king
  23. race — the arms race
  24. season — to add flavour

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