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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: wound · bark · stock · press · cabinet · ground · bank · prune

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stock — goods
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bank — for money
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ground — a position

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