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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · pop · lash · drill · cap · wind · scale · hand

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. cap — a lid
  3. hand — help
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pop — to visit
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. drill — army training
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — soda
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — in cards
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — of ice
  21. scale — in music
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pop — music

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