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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 · pound · drill · bear · bark · deal · band · nail

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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 — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. drill — army training
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bear — the animal
  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