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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: pit · clip · cabinet · arm · bank · pound · bark · land

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. bank — of a river
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bank — for money
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. clip — a video
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pit — in a race
  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