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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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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: bank · kick · bark · mine · root · kid · content · nail

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kid — child
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. kid — to tease
  8. root — of a word
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. root — of a plant
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — the amount
  18. mine — for digging
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. content — happy
  24. bank — for money

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