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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 116 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: bank · track · board · wake · ball · bat · dip · drill

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. drill — a practice
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. board — to get on
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — to sink
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — a path
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. board — a committee
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. track — a song
  24. dip — to dunk

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