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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 · rush · row · bark · net · field · march · spring

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — for sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — to paddle
  8. march — music
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spring — of water
  12. net — after costs
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. net — in sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bank — of a river
  18. row — a line
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. rush — hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. bark — to shout
  24. field — a subject

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