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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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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: bark · march · pound · swing · deal · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — to play on
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. swing — music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — in golf

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