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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 116 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: race · pound · bank · lean · cell · bark · drill · stand

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bank — for money
  7. lean — thin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. drill — army training
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. race — humankind
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bank — for money
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. race — a contest
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bank — of a river

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