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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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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: stand · court · bark · band · board · deal · straw · bank

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. board — a committee
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stand — to bear
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a music group
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. court — of a king
  14. board — to get on
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — of a river
  17. band — a ring
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stand — for spectators

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