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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: bank · tube · bark · row · roll · deal · rest · hide

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. deal — to handle
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bank — for money
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — a container
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. row — to paddle
  22. roll — a list
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. deal — a big deal

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