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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: band · suit · bank · chest · row · spell · coach · bark

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. chest — of your body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. suit — clothes
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bank — for money
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bank — of a river
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — a box
  20. band — a music group
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. spell — letters
  24. bark — of a tree

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