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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · mouse · bank · plane · hand · file · bark · wound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. kick — in football
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. file — a document
  15. hand — in cards
  16. file — a line of people
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. plane — a tool

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