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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · plane · pound · leaves · bank · clip · bark · bass

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bank — of a river
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pound — a weight
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — a video
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bank — for money
  16. bass — low music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bass — the fish

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