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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 120 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: rest · ball · bark · straw · scale · lie · fan · rash

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rash — a series
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rest — a break
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. scale — in music
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lie — an untruth

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