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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: band · bark · calf · scale · cell · leaves · lean · sharp

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — thin
  12. scale — in music
  13. cell — in biology
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lean — to bend
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. band — a music group

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