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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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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: pit · bear · cell · pop · leaves · bark · bank · straw

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pit — in a race
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. pop — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cell — a phone
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bank — for money
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bank — of a river
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cell — in biology
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pop — soda
  24. bear — the animal

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