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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: firm · land · foot · field · wind · bark · bore · bank

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. field — farmland
  7. land — ground
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bank — for money
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. land — a country
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — a subject

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