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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.

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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: suit · dip · row · march · bank · bat · cap · bark

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cap — a hat
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — of ice
  9. march — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. row — to paddle

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