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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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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: wind · bank · field · face · racket · club · bark · date

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. field — farmland
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — for money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bank — for money
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — to shout
  11. wind — moving air
  12. face — part of the head
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. club — for golf
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bank — of a river
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. face — to confront
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — of a tree

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