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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: pound · scale · foot · file · bark · branch · craft · wake

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. branch — a division
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. scale — size or range
  12. foot — a measure
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wake — a trail
  17. craft — boats
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. scale — in music
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bark — to shout

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