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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: key · bound · foot · rush · season · club · bark · bank

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bank — for money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bank — for money
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rush — hurry
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. club — for golf
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — of a river
  23. key — in music
  24. rush — a thrill

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