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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: pitcher · bark · spell · bass · scale · object · drill · bat

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — to protest
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. drill — army training
  6. scale — in music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. object — an aim
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — letters
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — the animal
  18. drill — the tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. spell — magic
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bass — the fish
  24. drill — a practice

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