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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: dip · scale · march · lash · track · pitcher · bark · drill

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. drill — a practice
  3. scale — size or range
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. dip — to sink
  8. track — a path
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — in music
  15. drill — army training
  16. bark — to shout
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — a song
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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