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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 · mine · bank · club · wound · squash · drill · racket

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — for golf
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. drill — a practice
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — a group
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. drill — army training
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — a loud noise

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