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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: bark · foot · bulb · face · capital · bank · date · stock

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bank — of a river
  5. capital — money
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. date — the fruit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. capital — a city
  17. face — part of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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