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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: chair · bark · craft · bank · lean · last · squash · suit

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. squash — the sport
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. last — finally
  11. bark — to shout
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. squash — to crush
  17. craft — a skill
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. suit — in cards
  20. lean — thin
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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